1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a washing machine, and more particularly to a washing machine having a pulsator formed at its inside with a chamber for separately receiving delicate articles or small-sized articles to be washed.
2. Prior Arts
As is well known, a washing machine is an appliance for separating dirt from articles to be washed such as clothing by sequentially carrying out various cycles in the order of liquid feeding, washing, rinsing, dehydrating, and draining cycles.
While the above cycles are being executed, dirt contained in the articles separates from the articles by means of friction between a liquid flow and the articles or by means of detergents.
FIG. 3 shows such a conventional washing machine 500.
As shown in FIG. 3, conventional washing machine 500 includes a housing 510. An outer tub 520 for receiving a washing liquid is disposed in housing 510. Enclosed within outer tub 520 is a spin tub 530 formed at its side wall with a plurality of discharging holes 532. Below outer tub 520 but within housing 510, there are provided a motor 540 for generating a driving force, and a gear assembly 550 which transfers the driving force of motor 540 to spin tub 530 or to a pulsator 560 rotatably mounted on a bottom wall of spin tub 530.
While the washing cycle is being carried out, pulsator 560 driven by motor 540 rotates in forward and reverse directions, thereby creating a swirl-shaped liquid flow in spin tub 530. The swirl-shaped liquid flow collides with the articles in spin tub 530, so the articles are washed.
However, in conventional washing machine 500, the swirl-shaped liquid flows generated by pulsator 560 become weak as they reach an upper portion of spin tub 530 due to an interference by the articles. For this reason, when a large amount of articles are placed in spin tub 530, the washing effect at the upper portion of spin tub 530 is reduced. Particularly, articles having a light weight or a small size are not completely immersed in the washing liquid, but float on the surface of the washing liquid in the direction of the liquid flow. As a result, the small-sized articles do not widely collide with the liquid flow, so the dirt contained in the small-sized articles is not completely separated from the articles.
In order to solve the above problem, various washing machines have been suggested, but they have presented many problems.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,409 issued to Morey discloses a washing machine which can effectively wash articles having a light weight.
Morey's washing machine comprises a small basket fixedly installed at an upper portion of an agitator. The small basket is formed with a plurality of pores, so washing water is introduced/discharged into/from the small basket through the pores. In washing cycle, the small basket having light weight articles therein rotates together with the agitator, so the articles placed in the small basket are washed.
However, since the small basket is installed at the upper portion of the agitator in Morey's washing machine, the small basket may interrupt the rotation of the agitator. In addition, the small basket may collide with articles placed in a spin tub while the washing cycle is being performed, so the rotation of the agitator is further interrupted and a motor for rotating the agitator is subjected to an overload.